Zande Bibles

6 weeks in and Joanne and Andrew are beginning to adjust to life in Ibba. They keep us up-to-date with what they are up to but Joanne wanted to share this with some of their supporters:

“Last Tuesday, I had a lovely time of fellowship with the Mothers’ Union branch at St Luke's church, a couple of miles out of Ibba town. Their grass-roofed church collapsed during a storm after Easter. They continue to meet every Tuesday at 2pm, as normal, but under the mango tree beside the collapsed church.

None of these ladies have access to a Bible, and even if they did, only one of the ladies in this group is able to read. They have begun having Zande lessons from another Mothers’ Union member. 

34.6% of Ibba County are illiterate with the majority of them being women. I admire their resilience – they continue to meet despite having no church building and they are eager to learn to read so they can access the Bible for themselves. Witnessing their determination to grow in faith prompted me to ask myself, how much do we take our education for granted and access to Bibles?

Andrew and I have notice that around the church, most of the adults don't have Bibles. Indeed, we have discovered it is difficult to even purchase a Zande Bible! Unable to get a hard copy ourselves, we have been told that the Zande Bible is out of print and unavailable. 

But, just last week, after Tuesday’s MU meeting in St. Luke's when people were praying for Bibles, the Dean of Ibba cathedral heard that a box of 24 Zande Bibles was sitting in neighbouring Maridi Diocese. With only a few Zande speakers in Maridi, he has arranged for them to be brought to Ibba! Praise God for his provision!”

Joanne’s joy is almost palpable here – imagine how the Zande speakers will feel when they receive a Bible in their own language! Praise God, indeed, for this provision.